AI in Action: Summarizing Your Association Content

For associations, content is always in supply. Whether it’s sessions from your annual conference, articles from your publications, in-depth research and studies or member interviews, organizations have a goldmine of expertise at their fingertips. 

But how much of this content is easy to get through or even access?

Whether it’s time-sensitive (as in “you had to be there to see/hear it”) or incredibly in-depth (as in get ready to dive into some complex data), it often means your members won’t have the opportunity to enjoy it – especially not in its entirety or on the spot.

So how do you make content easier to consume and more accessible for the entirety of your membership? Artificial intelligence – mainly through generative AI tools that summarize content. 

The How and Why of AI-based Content Summarization

AI content summarizers use natural language processing (NLP) and deep learning algorithms to analyze text in an article, complex documents and studies, or even audio transcripts to create a condensed version of the original. 

This process is known as “abstractive summarization” because it doesn’t just take keywords or sentences from the original piece but instead generates a summary based on the meaning of the text. 

These summaries can be as simple or detailed as an organization needs, ranging from a detailed report to a bullet list of key concepts someone may need to understand general concepts and findings. 

Benefits of Using AI for Summarizing Long-form Content

Outside of making content easier to consume, AI content summarization tools can provide associations with a range of unique benefits, including:

• Time-savings: AI summarization algorithms can quickly process and condense large volumes of text, saving time for readers who would otherwise need to sift through content to get to the key points.
• Consistency: AI-generated summaries are consistent in their approach and style, which can be helpful for businesses and organizations that require standardization in their communication.
• Improved Comprehension: By providing a concise summary of a long-form piece of content, AI can help readers better understand the main ideas and arguments while enticing them to dive deeper for more information.
• Scalability: AI summarization algorithms can be applied to a wide range of texts, from news articles to scientific papers. Best of all, there’s no limit to how much content is summarized, allowing associations to increase their output for special events like conferences.  
• Personalization: Some AI summarization tools allow for customization based on user preferences, making generating summaries tailored to specific needs and interests possible – which can quickly become a members-only newsletter.
• Accessibility: AI-generated summaries can make information more accessible to people with visual or cognitive impairments who struggle to read lengthy texts. From summarized infographics to detailed outlines, these tools can help connect with all your members. 

4 Ways to Experiment with AI Summarization

As with any implementation in your association, strategy can help make the most of new technology. Having a general idea of what content you want to summarize and how you can streamline compiling your assets and thinking of ways to recreate it. Four projects to start with include: 

1. Research Breakdowns – Associations are often responsible for in-depth research and studies used as industry benchmarks. And while your organization can spend endless time conducting the research, your members may not have the time to read it all. Summarizers can pull out essential information, showcase insightful metrics and provide a detailed summary to help members find the most interesting information.   
2. Event Recaps – Missed a session? Only attending virtually? Forget an interesting tidbit from a panel? AI content summarizers can help event teams process conference content quickly, giving your members near real-time access to detailed summaries, key points and direct quotes on your website or the conference app. 
3. Bite-Sized Social – Content distribution should be a part of your association content strategy – but that doesn’t just mean reporting your articles on social. From infographics summarizing key points from your latest study to carousel posts outlining your top particles, AI can help leverage design to showcase your content. 
4. Newsletters – For many associations, weekly newsletters are already a member benefit. But what if you provided short summaries of each instead of links to articles – whether in paragraph or bullet list form? Add personalized article recommendations (also possible through AI), and your newsletter quickly becomes a must-read for your members. 

AI offers plenty of unique opportunities for associations – and when those opportunities mean improving member experience – it’s a win-win for everyone. So whether you’re summarizing your latest study or turning your most popular articles into bite-sized social media posts, AI can help make it happen. 

Jose Triana

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Jose Triana joined the Sidecar team as the Content Manager in 2021. He is a writer and creative focused on helping purpose-driven organizations learn and find value online. When he isn't working on content, you can catch him going for a run or resting with a good book.

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